"Come on Sebas good job" - Tadej Pogacar's words of incentive towards Juan Sebastián Molano who almost takes Giro d'Italia win

Perhaps the highlight image of the ninth stage of this year's Giro d'Italia was that of pink jersey Tadej Pogacar doing the leadout in the final sprint for Juan Sebastián Molano. The Colombian talked through the finale in which he sprinted to third and details how the Slovenian supported him throughout the final kilometers.

Pogacar, comfortably in the Giro lead and seemingly without competition at the same level, decided not to hold back on the expected sprint to Napoli and put himself in a supporting position for the Colombian. “I have always had Tadej's support, he has motivated me all these days. Today was not an easy finale but well, unfortunately in the end we lacked a little, I was already over the limit of strength but Tadej is always a great companion, and thus he is a greater leader," Molano said in a post-race interview.

This was specially important in the few climbs the riders faced in the finale. “As I tell you, I was motivated throughout the day, I was suffering the last climbs, but well, his motivation also helped me, he spoke to me on the radio, imagine. 'Come on Sebas good job, good job'," he described. "The climb was already over and well that gives you a little more strength, right? We are going on a day of rest that we gave everything today to recover in peace tomorrow." Ultimately, Molano was in a strong position into the sprint, when Pogacar himself put himself in the front of the peloton to bring back late attacker Jhonatan Narváez. Molano performed well and rode to third on the day but was beaten by Olav Kooij and Jonathan Milan.

He also commented on the final descent which Geraint Thomas was critical of, and saw crashes from riders including Alexander Krieger who was seriously injured. "The truth is that the last descent was very very dangerous, it was too dangerous a descent, it was almost not asphalt, it was too dangerous," Molano admitted. "And well, we saved it well, everyone was helping me, they were looking at me after the descent. We said it was time with two and a half kilometers left and well, we took the last corner in a good position but we lacked a little legs at the end to make the sprint.”